All Comments on 'Balance'

The worst thing about reading an oshaw tale is knowing how limited the amount of reading there is. I still question WHY there are those that insist that their comments must have something to nitpick about. Keep in mind that this is a fictional story, leave your math lessions in the classroom. Also, please let me know WHO didn't know the hospital oshaw was referring to.

I guess what I feel is important is reading a tale for the pleasure of it, not to find fault. Those two things were pissy little details that no one but you even cares about. Simply thank the author for a very good FREE story that all are able to enjoy.

Thank you once again oshaw, where ever you are for a great read - even the third time through!

somewhere east of Omaha

thank you for another fun ride

heart warming story of a good man doing what is right while being quiet it about the good deed, and a Mother's foresight

I've read this story a few times. Every time it is still a favorite. Thank you oshaw

Special, thank you

NICE!!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

WOW!!! This was my first time reading an oshaw story - now I can see why he (she?) is almost always listed as one of the "contest winners." Simply magnificent, words fail me here. What a beautiful story! I don't know how likely it is that this author is still monitoring this site, since the last posted oshaw story was "Kept" on 11/23/17. The sequence (chronologically) of oshaw stories was also alphabetical, making it from A ("Award" in Romance) through each subsequent letter with a LW story up through the aforementioned "Kept." Then it stopped. Guess I'll have to check out "Award," and then go forward to C through K.

Oh yes, wonderful story.

A mother's love. A manifestation of becoming a true man by the crucible of unconditional love.

Good story like it a lot.

Good vs. evil. John D vs Dickwad. True love. A bealutiful sorry that has sadness but also glory. Wonderfully written.

Please come back, we miss you.

These stories are just as good as you'd find if you bought them at a bookstore. Excellent work. My only question is why are they in cucky land? Wouldn't Romance be a better fit?

There are 9 community property states. In none of them are inheritances considered marital property.

Whit any luck the ex-husband (what a turd) gets T-Boned by a semi and a forgotten life insurance policy pays Barbara a nice chunk of change,then he would at least have had some purpose.

Ended a bit to quick for my likeing. However it was well written and worth 5*

Community property (unchecked) and Adultery not affecting divorce results just show the lack of morals human society has, Adulterers (of either gender) should pay the consequences of their sins!

Wow, I have no comment showing on this story. That is unusual since I gave it a 5 star rating and have read it several times. All the people who say that the husband should have been scorched more than he was as opposed to the living well is the best policy crowd, I agree with Iron Dragon. Why not do both, there is no reason not to chastise the asshat nearly unto death and then living well as he is in rehab. Eclectic response.

@Tilan I read your comment just after you posted it, and I thought it was interesting how you judged the rest of us an inferior to you. I almost commented that it was bold talk for someone who habitually goes back and turns off voting and comments on his stories. Then the very next day your next story, https://www.literotica.com/s/bettys-bet, was posted. I read with amusement the sugar-coated comments to your story that you loathe on other authors' stories. You see, I rated your story just as I do others' before I read the comments. I did get a warm and fuzzy feeling at how your somehow human, perfectly so, ex-military leading man was much like the male part of the couple you bash here. The cheating wife in your story was just a copy of the hundreds of wives who cheated while drunk and suddenly turned into a slut with no self-control or morals, and you did it without giving any background as to why she would cheat the first, much less why she would jump back into the arms of the guy who drunk screwed her the first time. That happened just so that you could use the cheesy bet to prove the unproven cliche, "once a cheater, always a cheater," and it's amazing how the Homo Sapiens rating your story were fluffing you with terms like, "it was Hitchcockesque!" Anyway, she had no depth to tell why she would fall apart, other than assume the Literotica Slut Ray attack.

I notice that the story started out grading 4.4. It was 4.05 before you closed the ratings.

@Oshaw I've lived in or worked in many small towns with controlling, "mean and shallow characters" that Tillie describes below. I thought it was a good read, but I'm no critic. If I was, I'd certainly be reading elsewhere. I'm happy to belong to the same galaxy as you.

Hmm this is to be a habit where I read one of your stories and the next thing I know, my eyes are getting wet. Keep up the good work.

Ridiculous and bogus, simplistic pap that isn't worth the time and effort to read.

Great story.

BARBARA IS REALLY SUCH A STUPID CLUELESS BITCH!! SHE HAD SHIT FOR BRAINS!!

HER MOTHER HAD MORE SENSE THAN HER!!

I have ti praise the writer for writing, but I feel like this story was a little self indulgent at times and it is generally not a good idea to make your protagonist (main character) out to be so obtuse. I did like that she grew from being bullied to standing up for herself but still with the help of a rich man. Btw, there was literally no “sexy” to this story, but there is a story there and some optimism for their future. Thank you

Loved this. 5 stars

This one gets better every time I read it! Thanks, Oshaw!

What's one more accolade on top of 300+ ?

Outstanding both in style and substance. 5 of 5

Just awesome.

What an amazing story

Extraordinary! No need for more words. 5 star story if there ever was one. Thank you.

Outstanding, just simply outstanding

5 stars, BUT the Ex was fighting for custody of the daughter after he abandoned her, left her with no money, power, telephone or food? I don't thin so.

i loved

What a fantastic story. I especially like the ending, incorporating the lyrics from a Beatles tune, “in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.” Thank you for the time and effort you gave in writing this memorable story.

The legal reasoning in the story is a bit suspect, but otherwise a good story. Consider, the wife has serious injury, yet the court would supposedly imposed stiff penalty in a divorce action because she was delayed in a divorce petition response? All she would have to do was have any attorney file a request for extension with the court given the extenuating circumstances. No problem. That, and a court intervention would have been swift when the husband's shenanigans like removing all financial assets in support of the family were exposed. Now, the wife's mother moving to protect her estate from a malevolent SIL and naive daughter is quite realistic.

Wonderful!

Too bad this writer isn't active anymore, he's one of the best storytellers on this site, if not the best. All his stories are amazing

Top story. Top writing from top author.

One glaring mistake in an otherwise well told story. Richard's divorce attorney would have either already investigated and known all about Dupree, and thus never have called him to testify. Dupree would have been called by Barbra's attorney as the coup de gras. Or he would have followed one of the golden rules of trial lawyers, never ask a question you don't already know the answer to.

In reality, if Richard filed without knowing the realities of the home ownership, once Barbra counter filed, Richards attorney would have found out what was really going on and told Richard how fucked he was and told him to do everything he could to reconcile before it was too late.

That is an unfillable hole in the plot.

I didn't let it keep me from reading to the end, but I can only give 3 stars due to the above listed reasons.

I really enjoyed this story. After being on this site too long, you get a little jaded. It’s easy to forget, that men screw over women as well. Thanks for crafting this- 5 stars.

A fantastic love story. Its roots embedded in years past. I would have liked to read the dialogue of the bastard wanting her back & her rejection of him but her embracing John was probably the best way to finish this 5 stat tale.

Bill S.

Wow. I wish there were more authors of this caliber on here. So good.

Thank You for an excellent story of treason, greed and stupidity of a husband & father as well as the love, strength

and resolve of a beautiful mother and woman. One of the best authors on Lit.

Very good, full of love and idiocy of those who thought to take advantage of a woman and her daughter. 5 stars

Thanks

Es una lastima no tener más obras del autor.

Gracias!

Hell of a good story.

Wonderful story. Some trying to pick holes and perhaps may have points but why bother, it's the author's story, it's fiction, it's his world and a really well thought out and well crafted stroy.

I echo the comment that it's a shame we have apparently seen the last of this writer's stories here. A talented writer. It appears you may well never read this but on the off chance you do -thank you.

Excellent story. BardnotBard

A lot of people (like Richard the asshole!) don't appreciate what they have. Barbara seemed to be a great wife. Why would a sane man cheat, etc... on her?

It's mighty insane that an otherwise morally upright man like Richard, an average American male makes one silly mistake, and has his slut wife who're herself in retaliation. MAYBE she'd been WHO'RING HERSELF for longer than that, it's hard to tell from her pov sob story.

So why does he want the who're back? He could do much better than her, there are other fishes to snag in the seven seas.

Great story Thanks for your writing.

Brilliant...5 stars .

"It's mighty insane that an otherwise morally upright man like Richard..."

Are you sure you're commenting on the right story? The Richard in this story is clearly a cast-iron, copper-bottomed, arsehole at his best and ultimately a neglectful, cheating, controlling and cruel, if not actually abusive, waste of skin.

"Are you sure you're commenting on the right story? The Richard in this story is clearly a cast-iron, copper-bottomed, arsehole at his best and ultimately a neglectful, cheating, controlling and cruel, if not actually abusive, waste of skin."

No, he isn't!

Maybe but maybe Barbariana is the Real Who're.

And maybe Du'pree is a duped cuck twice over cos Morgan was also a clandestine bitch to him.

I loved it 5stars to you I fully understood the ending even though I had to used my imagination to how it should

It was a gift to read this yarn. It was catharsis and medicine in just the right dose. Maybe the tragic windup was a little overdone, although it's not outside the realm of possibility that troubles can gain a momentum of their own and stack up. It probably did serve to make the eventual outcome that much more gratifying. Really grateful for the good heartedness at the heart of the story. Would not have expected to find it here.

great story 5 stars. want to correct a couple of errors though. In the united states inheritance is personal property not community even in community property states. so unless inherited assets are mingled with community assets the person who inherits owns them outright.

the other correction is a female elk is a cow. a doe is a female deer.

Five stars.

That said a doctor would be in the navy as all Marine medical is via the Navy. Or he would be a grunt on the lines. Also no Marine goes through basic training. Marines go to boot camp which is twice as long. The navy corpsmen are great, they eat sleep and get shot at with their marine comrades. It’s not a question of dedication or courage just regulations and law.

Kim, this is my bitch of a wife, Linda!"

Your Editor has forgotten that Barbara is the name of the wife of Richard Lovvet & Linda, his daughter.

A more cautious approach to editing is desirable.

Among other issues, you have a real problem with plurals, for example elks. (Elk is the plural of elk-- saying elks is like saying mices!) BTW, Talibans is also incorrect. The singular is Talin, and the plural is Taliban. Just sayin'...

JPB

Four stars from me.

JPB

Yes, JPB. But as we all learned from watching Saturday morning cartoons: “I HATE THOSE MICES TO PIECES!”

Cartoon cat 1, JPB 0.

In regards to Greenbeard everyone does indeed agree: “doe a deer, a female deer; ray a drop of golden sun. Me a name to call myself; far a long, long way to run.” Since the MC was a runner that brings us right back down to who gives a crap what you call a female Elk. ;-)

Rock on!

Seems like a lot of Nick picking of a very good story The author alway writes a really good story. Too bad nothing new has been offered in years. Every story I’ve read tugs at your heart strings.

Thanks for a powerful and entrancing tale!! Very well done!!

Brilliant story with a beautiful ending.

5 stars.

Brilliant. I'm an avid LW reader, but I prefer reading stories with male MCs and btb endings. I would have skipped this one seeing that the MC is a woman, but with a high star rating, I got curious. Glad I didn't.

Thank you for sharing, it was an enjoyable read.

Correcting the anon commenter who said marines don’t go through basic training. That’s not completely accurate. All new Marine Corps officers go through “The Basic School.”

He is however correct in that all medical support for the Corps is provided by Navy corpsmen, nurses, and doctors.

But enough nitpicking a fine story!

Thank you

Pretty OK, not too bad.

Tears of joy by the end.

I have a friend who is divorcing such a narcissist.

A little needed editing: punctuation, grammar, scene division.

But, thank you for the distraction.

I think that in order to whine and nitpick the person should have to supply a story (since they are such experts)! I only thank an author for the gift they give freely for us to enjoy. I've enjoyed all of oshaws tales multiple times.

5 stars!

somewhere east of Omaha

All right. I agree. Five. But there is a fatal flaw. We don't learn what happened to Richard. That is a terrible error and one I intend to correct. So I had the matter investigated and researched and this is what I discovered: Richard came back to town a year later. He went to Barbara's house and started yelling for her let him in. Fourteen male Literotica readers--all men-- converged on the location and beat the hell out of him. He got into his car and hightailed it away. On the edge of town he stopped to get gas. A woman, Molly DuFreeze, approached him and handed him a court document to establish paternity for her son and provide child support. Richard looked at her in consternation and started to yell. Another woman came up from the opposite direction: Regina Friend. She thrust into his hand another court document for paternity and support. Richard was shocked and more so when another woman with the same papers handed him another. Richard jumped into his pickup and peeled out. Becky Granderson was in her Corolla and followed. Her left arm was extended out the driver's side window with another set of paternity papers. Twelve other women in various makes and models of cars followed, all attempting to serve their papers. The Associated Press reports that Richard was last seen with thirteen women pursuing him on a highway leaving Muskogee, Oklahoma.

Overall a well written story, lots of nice bits and nice to see it from the woman's side for once. It definitely has the bones for a full treatment and would have been enjoyable to read it as such.

Only real problem was that it was a little white knight smaltzy and a total no go on the custody angle.

Abandoning your wife and child doesn't go down too well at a custody hearing.

Cutting off all services and money to your wife and child could be counted as endangerment and definately wouldn't help in a custody battle.

At 15 the wishes of Linda would almost certainly take precedence in a custody hearing, outside of mitigating factors like mum being a whore, alcoholic, drug addict or violent.

That there was no alimony was just bizarre, after a long marriage even with a NF divorce it's almost unheard of that the higher earner doesn't at least pay a nominal amount for a nominal time. Most likely this would be till Linda a reached 18 or Barbara got married whichever was the sooner, with child support lasting till Linda was out of full time education. That Richard had an affair and abandoned his wife and kid almost certainly guarantees that custody, alimony and child supoort were done deals.

How it went unnoticed that the house wasn't owned by Richard and Barbara is a mystery, because it would have come up during any mortgage discussion, and when taxes needed to be paid, probably also during insurance and subsequent claims. Surely there were title deeds handed over when the estate was settled.

Ignoring all that, the house sounds large and the upkeep and taxes on a 4m house is not inconsiderable, yes I appreciate it was implied that the house had been left to decay somewhat, but decayed or not I doubt that Richard wasn't a superficial twat so overly obvious and disagreeable problems would have been taken care of. Point being that he must have had a good well paying job to afford all this, and his ego suggests that his job was significantly better paid than the very reasonable salaries that teachers get, so the idea that he wouldn't have to pay alimony is patently absurd.

5 Stars on a great story . I have a relative who served in the middle East . He hated the whole 5 months he was their . He got shot in the Butt and sent home . Then the Marines taught him how to file papers the Marine way . He is now a CPA and loves it .

5 stars....very well written and a very good story. The only problem I have with this tale is, we do not have any medical people in the United States Marine Corps. All of our medical, dental and optometry is provided to us by the United States Navy. Unfortunately, the Marine Corps is a department of the Navy. When someone from the Navy reminds us of that fact, we always retaliate by agreeing and stating that the United States Marine Corps is the "Men's Department" of the Navy. Thank you very much.

It was pretty well written, but kind of weird? I felt very unsatisfied about a couple of things. Like first, I don't really understand why Richard left Babs (and she doesn't seem to care either?!?) and further to that, I don't understand why he was so harsh on her and their daughter (that one baffled me). I mean, okay leaving Babs - it happens, but the situation he put his kid where she wouldn't even have food to eat? That's actually some downright illegal shit there - like arrest you and drag you to court to make you pay emergency maintenance with a 100% guarantee that you don't, you're seeing the inside of a jail. Like you would have to seriously hate your own child to risk that. Richard and his motivations are just incomprehensible and this actually does make the story less than how it's written. The other thing, I didn't like Dupree having all that money. The story reads like a deus ex machina because he just swoops in with endless funds, enough to basically buy the entire town, what real problems could he (and by extension Barbara) really face in that situation? On top of that, he's also like John Wick or something. Ahem. If you're not really into schmaltzy romance, it takes a lot of the tension out of the story. It's like those cheating stories where the protagonist is an ex-special forces NSA agent astronaut. Lastly, I really feel that this should be in romance and not loving wives. I know that affairs is basically a subgenre here, but typically they at least involve the wife getting some strange, so it kind of fits (although a lot of them don't even write too much about it, so I think they don't fit). I don't know, I had a hard time getting into this story for both of the major reasons listed above and since I don't enjoy schmaltzy romance, there really wasn't anything in here for me. I hate to say it, but... 2/5 from me.

oshaw thank you for a wonderful read. Pretty darn creative! Nice pacing. 5 stars, wish it could be more.

VERY slow burn, but I liked it.

GREAT STORY! Terrible end! Suggest new ending, Richard should have violantly grabbed Barbara's arm and pulled on her. Followed by John beating the hell out of him for assaulting her. And Richard being put into a squad car under arrest for assaulting his former wife. Now that would be a fun ending...

Vaya que si sabes escribir

Gracias Autor

💯💯💯👍👍👍👍🤔😉😁🍕🍕🍕🍕🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺🙋

Great story and storyline. Agree that it would have been nice to see Richard arrested for some form of assault. Otherwise, great story! Thank you.

A few people seem to want a BTB (Burn the B’stard) ending.

I think being blanked at the end and his ex making eyes at the new man in her life was punishment enough.

I like some element of possible reality in the stories!

A 3 from me.

I'm not quite sure why, but i really loved this story. The characters really came alive for me.